Date Time
More English learners at risk of future academic struggles in Texas public schools
Education researchers from Rice University have documented a troubling trend in the system Texas public schools use to reclassify elementary school students learning English, evidence of a problem they say could have a serious impact on hundreds of thousands of the state’s school children.
The data indicate that a dramatically growing number of students classified as English learners (ELs) are becoming long-term English learners (LTELs), indicating they haven’t become proficient with the language within five years of entering Texas public schools.
Between 2000 and 2019, researchers said, data from school districts across the state indicates the percent of ELs who became LTEL in Texas increased almost 90%.